JP2012073894A - Communication device management system, user device and service device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve power consumption reduction of communication device management system.SOLUTION: A communication device management system relating to an embodiment comprises: a communication part for communicating with a user device and a service device; a device information retention part for storing device information about the service device received from the service device through the communication part; a seizing signal processing part for receiving a seizing signal from the user device through the communication part; a device information transmission part for transmitting the device information retained in the device information retention part, to the user device through the communication part; and a power management part for controlling an operational state. When the seizing signal processing part receives the seizing signal, the power management part makes the transition from a quiescent state to a startup state that requires a measurable amount of power, and after the transition to the startup state, the device information transmission part transmits the device information. And after the transmission of device information, the power management part makes the transition from the startup state to the quiescent state.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a communication device management apparatus, a user device, and a service device.

  With the spread of communication technology, home appliances such as air conditioners and TVs are beginning to be connected to home networks. Further, NAS (Network Attached Storage) for home use is also sold, and this is also connected to the home network. If the home network is used, remote operation such as using a cooling function (service) of an air conditioner (service device) using a PC (user device) is possible.

  When communication is performed between a user device and a service device in a home network, the power of the service device needs to be turned on. This allows standby power consumption in the home (the user device uses the service device). There was a problem that the power consumption during the period not increased).

  As a technique for solving such problems, there is a technique called WOL (Wake On LAN). In this technology, a user device transmits a packet called a magic packet to a service device, and the service device that has received the magic packet can turn on the power. By using this technique, the user device can receive service from the service device after the service device is turned on. Therefore, the service device can turn off the power supply to almost all components other than the network interface during a period in which the service is not provided. As a result, power consumption during standby can be reduced.

  The magic packet is a packet having a specific bit pattern related to the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the device to be powered on. Therefore, in order for the user device to transmit a magic packet, the user needs to acquire the MAC address of the service device in advance and set it in the user device.

  For example, when a large number of service devices are connected to the home network, the number of MAC addresses of service devices set by the user as the user device increases, which is complicated.

  On the other hand, as in SLP (Service Location Protocol: IETF RFC 2165), each service device connected to the network registers its service attribute information in the directory agent, and the user device searches for the service attribute information from the directory agent. There is a way.

RFC 2165 Service Location Protocol, IETF, 1997

  According to this technology, the user device does not need to acquire the MAC address from each service device, and only needs to acquire the MAC address from one directory agent, thereby automating the setting of the MAC address of the service device to the user device. This can reduce the complexity of the user.

  However, in this case, the directory agent needs to be always activated in order to communicate with each of the user device and the service device, which causes a problem that new power consumption occurs.

  An object of the communication device management apparatus of the present invention is to make it easy for a user device to set device information of a service device connected to a network and to reduce power consumption of a directory agent.

The communication device management apparatus according to the embodiment includes a communication unit that communicates with a user device and a service device, a device information holding unit that stores device information of the service device received from the service device via the communication unit, and An activation signal processing unit that receives an activation signal from the user device via the communication unit, and a device information transmission unit that transmits device information held by the device information holding unit to the user device via the communication unit And a power management unit that controls an operation state, and when the activation signal processing unit receives the activation signal, the power management unit shifts from a hibernation state to an activation state with high power consumption, and transmits the device information The unit transmits the device information after shifting to the activated state, and the power management unit shifts from the activated state to the hibernated state after transmitting the device information. That.

1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the directory agent which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a format of a starting signal. The figure which shows the example of a format of a survival confirmation signal. The figure which shows an example of a service identifier. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the directory agent of FIG. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the user apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a screen of the user apparatus of FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the user equipment in FIG. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the service apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the service device of FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing operations among user devices, service devices, and directory agents in the system of FIG. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the directory agent which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the user apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the service apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The sequence diagram which shows operation | movement between the user apparatus of the system concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, a service apparatus, and a directory agent. The sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement between a user apparatus, a service apparatus, and a directory agent in the system concerning the modification 1 of 2nd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the directory agent which concerns on the modification 2 of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The sequence diagram which shows the operation | movement between a user apparatus, a service apparatus, and a directory agent in the system concerning the modification 2 of 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The system in FIG. 1 includes a user device 200 and service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D. The user device 200 and the service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D are connected to each other via the wireless LAN access point 400 to form a home network. More specifically, each device performs communication using an IP protocol in an IEEE802.11 wireless LAN. The home network is also connected to another network via the wireless LAN access point 400.

  In FIG. 1, the user device 200 is a PC, and the service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D are illustrated as printers, TVs, NAS, and air conditioners, respectively.

  In the present embodiment, the operation states of the user device 200, the service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D, and the directory agent 100 change. Here, for example, G0 (during operation), G1 (sleeping (so-called sleep or hibernation state, can shift to G0 faster than G2), G2 (soft off (so-called power off state than G1) Although the power consumption is small, the transition time to G0 is slower than G1)) G3 (mechanically completely powered off), where the operating states G0, G1, G2, G3 are for PCs Detailed in power management specification Advanced Configuration and Power Interface Specification In this embodiment, it is assumed that G0 and G2 change among the operating states G0, G1, G2, and G3, and that G0 is activated. (Or in a power-on state), G2 is referred to as a hibernation state (or a power-off state), and in this embodiment, G2 is in a state of lower power consumption than in a startup state. Activation signal ( When the activation signal is received, it is assumed that the state of the device can be shifted from G2 to G0, and G0 performs processing related to the function inherent to the device. Suppose that it is possible to

  Here, the service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D are devices that provide services to the user device 200, respectively. The service devices 300A to 300D are normally in a power-off state, and provide services by turning on the power as necessary. When the user device 200 wants to receive any of the service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D, for example, the user device 200 turns on the power of any of the service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D. Note that the user device 200 does not need to directly operate the user device 200 to turn on one or more of the service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D. For example, the user device 200 automatically starts the user device 200 using a timer. Thereafter, the user device 200 may make settings for starting the service devices 300A to 300D. The user device 200 transmits an activation signal to activate the service devices 300A to 300D. The activation signal is, for example, a magic packet, but can be used as an activation signal as long as the other device can be activated by sending a signal to the other device.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the directory agent 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The data transmission / reception unit 108 communicates with the user device 200 and the service devices 300A to 300D.

  The activation signal processing unit 103 receives activation signals from the service devices 300 </ b> A to 300 </ b> D and the user device 200 via the data transmission / reception unit 108.

  The activation signal generation unit 107 generates an activation signal to be transmitted to the service devices 300A to 300D.

  Here, a format example of the activation signal will be shown with reference to FIG. As the activation signal, UDP datagrams are converted into IP packets and converted into Ethernet frames. The destination address of the IP header is, for example, a multicast address such as 224.1.1.1 or a broadcast address such as 133.111.111.255. The source address of the IP header describes the source address of the device that transmitted the activation signal. However, if no IP address is set for the device that sent the activation signal, set 0.0.0.0. As the destination address of the ether header, the MAC address, multicast address, or broadcast address of the destination device is set. The activation bit pattern is a pattern generated from the MAC address of the device to be activated. For example, the activation bit pattern is obtained by repeating the MAC address of the device to be activated 16 times after FFFFFFFFFFFF (hexadecimal notation).

  The power management unit 101 controls the operation state of the own device (directory agent 100).

  The device information holding unit 105 stores device information received from the service devices 300 </ b> A to 300 </ b> D via the data transmission / reception unit 108. Here, the device information of the service devices 300A to 300D desirably includes (service type, service protocol type, operation state, nickname, device MAC address). When the service devices 300A to 300D are printers, NAS, air conditioners, and TVs, the service types are printers, NAS, air conditioners, and TVs, respectively. The service protocol type is a protocol for the service devices 300A to 300D to provide a service, such as SMB, NETBIOS, UpnP, DLNA, or ECHONET. The nickname is a name assigned to each service device 300A to 300D. For example, when there are two printers as service devices, the two printers are distinguished by naming each printer's nickname as pudding and melon. Further, the IP address of the device may be added to the device information. Accordingly, since the user device can know the IP address of the service device as device information, the procedure for finding the IP address of the service device by the user device when using the service can be omitted. However, if no IP address is set for the service device, 0.0.0.0 may be used to indicate that fact. In addition, when an IP address is set by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) etc., 0.0.0.0 is used as device information even if an IP address is set for the service device because the lease term is short. Also good.

  The device information transmitting unit 104 transmits device information via the data transmitting / receiving unit 107.

  The existence confirmation processing unit 106 transmits an existence confirmation request to the service devices 300A to 300D via the data transmission / reception unit 108, receives the existence notification, and confirms the existence of the service devices 300A to 300D. Here, the existence confirmation is a process of confirming whether the service devices 300A to 300D are effectively connected to the network (the home network in this example) to which the directory agent 100 is connected. Here, a format example of a survival confirmation request and a survival notification is shown using FIG. The existence confirmation request and the existence notice are carried in a UDP datagram, converted into an IP packet, and converted into an Ethernet frame. The command identifier is “survival confirmation request” in the case of a survival confirmation request, and “survival notification” in the case of a survival notification. The device identifier is information for uniquely identifying a device such as a MAC address, UUID (Universally Unique Identifier), or FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name). The service identifier is information for uniquely identifying a service such as UUID or FQDN. The existence confirmation request or the existence notice may include a plurality of device identifiers or a plurality of service identifiers. In particular, when one device has a plurality of services, it is desirable that the existence confirmation or the existence notification includes a plurality of service identifiers. In addition, when a plurality of virtual devices are physically realized by one device, it is desirable that the life confirmation or the life notification includes a plurality of device identifiers.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the service identifier. In the example of FIG. 5, the service identifier indicates that two service information of Contentdirectory and Connectionmanager are included.

  The time management unit 102 repeatedly transmits an event to the power management unit 101 and the activation signal generation unit 107 at predetermined time intervals.

  Next, the operation of the directory agent 100 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the directory agent 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the following description of the operation, any one of the service devices 300A to 300D will be referred to as the service device 300.

  Hereinafter, the initial state of the operating state of the directory agent 100 will be described as G2 (resting state) (S100).

  First, the activation signal processing unit 103 receives an activation signal from the service device 300 via the data transmission / reception unit 108 (S101). When the activation signal processing unit 103 receives the activation signal, the activation signal processing unit 103 transmits an event to the power management unit 101. Here, it is desirable that the activation signal includes identification information for identifying whether the activation signal is transmitted from the service device 300 or the user device 200.

  Upon receiving the event, the power management unit 101 shifts the operating state of the directory agent 100 from G2 (resting state) to G0 (starting state) (S102).

  Upon receiving the device information from the service device 300 via the data transmission / reception unit 108, the device information holding unit 105 holds this (S103). When the device information holding unit 105 completes storing the device information from the service device 300, the power management unit 101 shifts the operation state to G2 (sleep state) (S104). At this time, it is desirable that the power management unit 101 confirms the completion of the storage of the device information by the device information holding unit 105 or shifts to the operation state G2 (hibernation state) after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  When the activation signal processing unit 103 receives an activation signal from the user device 200 via the data transmission / reception unit 108 (S105), the activation signal processing unit 103 transmits an event to the power management unit 101 and the device information transmission unit 104. Receiving this event, the power management unit 101 shifts the operating state to G0 (starting state) (S106). The device information transmission unit 104 that has received this event transmits the device information held by the device information holding unit 105 to the user device 200 that is the transmission source of the activation signal (S107). The device information transmitted at this time is, for example, all held by the device information holding unit 105. Moreover, as the device information to be transmitted, only the device information of the service device 300 that the user device 200 needs may be transmitted. The device information of the service device 300 required by the user device 200 is transmitted from the user device 200 to the directory agent 100 after receiving an activation signal from the user device 200. Specifically, information for narrowing down device information of the service device 300 desired to be acquired from the user device 200 (device information service type, service protocol type, device MAC address) is transmitted to the directory agent 100 as a device information request. . The directory agent 100 transmits a device information response including device information of the designated service device to the user device 200. When the device information transmitting unit 104 completes transmitting the device information to the user device 200, the power management unit 101 shifts the operation state to G2 (sleep state) (S108).

  The time management unit 102 repeatedly transmits an event to the power management unit 101 and the activation signal generation unit 107 at predetermined time intervals. When the power management unit 101 receives an event from the time management unit 102 (S109), the power management unit 101 shifts the operation state to G0 (starting state) (S110). Upon receiving an event from the time management unit 102, the activation signal generation unit 107 transmits an activation signal to all the service devices 300 held in the device information holding unit 105 via the data transmission / reception unit 108 ( S111). At this time, the activation signal may be transmitted to each service device 300 or may be multicast or broadcast to all the service devices 300. Thereafter, the activation signal generation unit 107 transmits an event to the survival confirmation processing unit 106. When receiving the event, the existence confirmation processing unit 106 transmits an existence confirmation request to all the service devices 300 held in the device information holding unit 105 via the data transmission / reception unit 108 (S112). At this time, the survival confirmation request may be transmitted to each service device 300, or may be multicast or broadcast to all the service devices 300. The survival confirmation processing unit 106 determines that the corresponding device is alive when receiving the survival notification from the service device 300. If a service device 300 that does not receive a predetermined number of times survival notification is detected, the survival confirmation processing unit 106 deletes the device information of the corresponding device from the device information holding unit 105. When the survival confirmation processing unit 106 completes the survival confirmation, the power management unit 101 shifts the operation state to G2 (resting state) (S113).

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the user equipment 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The data transmission / reception unit 208 communicates with the communication device management apparatus 100 and the service devices 300A to 300D.

  The activation signal generation unit 203 generates an activation signal and transmits the activation signal to the service devices 300 </ b> A to 300 </ b> D or the directory agent 100 via the data transmission / reception unit 208.

  The device information request generation unit 204 generates a device information request for requesting the device information of the service device 300 from the directory agent 100 and transmits the device information request via the data transmission / reception unit 208. This device information request may be broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the directory agent 100.

  The device information holding unit 205 holds device information received from the service devices 300 </ b> A to 300 </ b> D via the data transmission / reception unit 208.

The screen display unit 201 displays the device information held by the device information holding unit 205. An example of display is shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, services provided by service devices are represented by icons. The operating state of the service device is displayed at the lower right of the icon, and the nickname set for the service device is displayed at the right of the icon. (In FIG. 8, five service devices are displayed, and (printer, active, pudding), (printer, stopped, melon), (NAS, active, NASA), (air conditioner, active, watermelon), (TV, stopped, orange). Here, in FIG. 8, the operation state is displayed as characters, but instead of characters, it may be displayed by other means such as graying out an icon.
Here, when the user device 200 needs to change the operation state of a plurality of service devices when using one service, when the service is displayed on the user screen as shown in FIG. It is desirable not to display it as a service, but to display it as one service, and when the user selects this, it is desirable to change the operating state of all the service devices related to this. For example, when a printer (printer) icon is selected, it is desirable that the user device also transmits an activation signal to the printer (printer) as a service device and a print server (not shown) connected thereto.

  The user input unit 202 receives a power-on event or a service event that the user wants to use.

  The device discovery processing unit 206 executes a service-specific device discovery / service discovery protocol such as UPnP or NETBIOS via the data transmission / reception unit 208. In addition, the service utilization unit 207 is notified of information related to the IP address, service type, and access method of the device discovered as a result of protocol execution.

  The service using unit 207 uses the service of the service device via the data transmitting / receiving unit 208.

  Next, the operation of the user device 200 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of the user equipment 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the initial state of the operation state of the user device 200 will be described as power off (S200).

  For example, when a power ON event is input from the user input unit 202 (S201), this event is transmitted to the activation signal generation unit 203, and the activation signal generation unit 203 transmits a magic packet via the data transmission / reception unit 208. (S202). In the magic packet, a bit pattern generated from the MAC address of the directory agent 100 (this MAC address is preset in the activation signal generation unit) is written, and it is desirable that only the directory agent 100 is activated.

  When the magic packet is transmitted, the activation signal generation unit 203 notifies the device information request generation unit 204 of the event, and upon receiving the event, the device information request generation unit 204 sends a device information request via the data transmission / reception unit 208 and the directory agent 100. (203). Device information from the directory agent 100 is received by the device information holding unit 205 via the data transmission / reception unit 208 and held (S204).

  The device information holding unit 205 that has received the device information displays the held device information via the screen display unit 201 (S205). In addition, the device information holding unit 205 passes the device information to the device discovery processing unit 206.

  When the service use event 207 is received by the service use event 207 (for example, when the user clicks on the icon of the service that the user wants to use) via the user input unit 202 (S206), the selected service is stored in the device information holding unit 205. The device information related to is transmitted to the activation signal generation unit 204. Upon receiving this, the activation signal generation unit 204 transmits a magic packet to the selected service device via the data transmission / reception unit 208 (S207).

  Further, the service using unit 207 transmits device information related to the service selected from the user input unit 202 to the device discovery processing unit 206. The device discovery processing unit 206 executes a service-specific device discovery / service discovery protocol such as UPnP, NETBIOS, and ECHONET for each received device information via the data transmission / reception unit 208 (S208). . Information about the IP address of the service device discovered as a result of execution, the type of service, and the access method is notified to the service using unit 207. Further, the device discovery processing unit 206 transmits information about the discovered device or service to the device information holding unit 205, which is sent to the screen display unit 201 for display (S209).

  When the service utilization unit 207 receives information necessary for using the service, such as the device IP address, the type of service, and the access method, from the device discovery processing unit 205, for example, SMB, DLNA, UPnP, NETBIOS, ECHONET, etc. The service is used with a protocol necessary for using the service (S210).

  In this embodiment, the activation signal is transmitted only to the service device related to the service designated by the user, but the activation signal may be transmitted to more devices including the service device designated by the user instead. For example, when a user designates a DLNA device, an activation signal may be transmitted to all DLNA devices. Alternatively, when a user designates a certain service device (for example, a DMR (Digital Media Render: image rendering service) such as a TV), a related device, for example, a DMS (Digital Media Server: content storage service) is started simultaneously. In general, such an operation can be realized by preparing a correspondence table between a service or device designated by the user and a device that is activated simultaneously with the service or device specified by the user. For example, a correspondence table that describes the relationship between the device specified by the user and the device that transmits the activation signal is required, which may be set in advance in the user device 200, or may be a directory agent 100 or another. May be received by the user device 200.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the service device 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is assumed to be the same as the configuration of the service device 300.

  The data transmission / reception unit 309 communicates with the directory agent 100 and the user device 200.

  The user input unit 302 transmits an event to the power management unit 301 when the user turns on the power.

  The power management unit 301 manages the operation state of the own device. For example, when a power ON event is received from the user input unit 302, the operation state of the own apparatus is shifted from G2 (resting state) to G0 (starting state).

  The activation signal generation unit 303 generates an activation signal and transmits the activation signal to the directory agent 100 via the data transmission / reception unit 309.

  The device information holding unit 304 holds the device information of its own device, and after the activation signal generation unit 303 transmits the activation signal, the device information is transmitted to the directory agent 100 via the data transmission / reception unit 309.

  The activation signal processing unit 305 receives an activation signal from the user device 200 or the directory agent 100 via the data transmission / reception unit 309.

  After the activation signal processing unit 305 receives the activation signal from the directory agent 100, the survival confirmation transmission unit 306 transmits a survival notification to the directory agent 100 via the data transmission / reception unit 309. At this time, in addition to the activation signal from the directory agent 100, the survival confirmation transmission unit 306 may transmit a survival notification after receiving a survival confirmation request, or may transmit autonomously.

  The device discovery providing unit 307 communicates with the device discovery processing unit 307 of the user device 200. This is done according to service-specific equipment or service discovery protocols such as UPnP, NETBIOS, ECHONET.

  The service providing unit 308 communicates with the service using unit 207 of the user device 200 via the data transmission / reception unit 309 to provide a service to the user device 200. This is performed according to service specific protocols such as SMB, UPnP, DLNA, NETBIOS, ECHONET.

  Next, the operation of the service device 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the service device 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the following description, it is assumed that the initial operating state of the service device 300 is G2 (resting state) (S300).

  When a predetermined operation, for example, a power ON operation is performed from the outside via the user input unit 302 (S301), this event is transmitted to the power management unit 301 (S301).

  When receiving an event from the user input unit 302, the power management unit 301 shifts the operation state to G0 (startup state) (S302) and transmits the event to the start signal generation unit 303.

  When the activation signal generation unit 303 receives an event from the power management unit 301, the activation signal generation unit 303 generates an activation signal using a preset MAC address of the directory agent 100, and this is generated via the data transmission / reception unit 309. 100 (S303). Furthermore, the event is transmitted to the device information holding unit 304.

  When receiving the event from the activation signal generation unit 303, the device information holding unit 304 transmits the device information held in advance to the directory agent 100 via the data transmission / reception unit 309 (S304). At this time, the destination address of the packet carrying the device information may be a broadcast address, a predetermined multicast address, or the address of the directory agent 100 set in advance or acquired by some protocol. In the case of the address of the directory agent 100, for example, an IP address is set in advance and transmitted to the IP address.

  In this transmission, it is desirable that the device information holding unit 304 waits for the transmission of the device information for a predetermined time in anticipation that it takes time to start the directory agent 100. Alternatively, after receiving a message from the directory agent 100 that the directory agent 100 can receive information, the device information holding unit 304 preferably transmits the device information.

  After transmitting the device information, the power management unit 301 shifts the operation state from G0 (starting state) to G2 (resting state) (S305). At this time, the power management unit 301 may confirm the completion of the transmission of the device information or may shift to the operating state G2 (resting state) after a predetermined time after transmitting the event to the activation signal generation unit 303. desirable.

  When the activation signal processing unit 303 receives an activation signal from the directory agent 100 via the data transmission / reception unit 309 (S306), the activation signal processing unit 303 transmits an event to the power management unit 301. When the activation signal is received from the directory agent 100, the event is also transmitted to the survival confirmation transmitting unit 306. When receiving the event from the activation signal processing unit 305, the power management unit 301 shifts the operation state to G0 (activation state) (S307). It is desirable to determine whether the activation signal is from the directory agent 100 by comparing the ether source address or IP source address of the activation signal with the address of the directory agent 100 set in advance. Alternatively, identification information for identifying whether the activation signal is transmitted by the directory agent 100 or not can be identified by this information.

  When receiving the event from the activation signal processing unit 305, the survival confirmation transmission unit 306 transmits a survival notification to the directory agent 100 via the data transmission / reception unit 309 (S308). At this time, the survival confirmation transmission unit 306 may transmit a survival notification after receiving the survival confirmation request from the directory agent 100. After the survival confirmation transmission unit 306 transmits the survival notification, the power management unit 301 shifts the operation state to G2 (resting state) (S309). This transition is desirably performed after the power management unit 301 confirms the transmission of the survival notification.

  When the activation signal processing unit 305 receives an activation signal from the user device 200 via the data transmission / reception unit 309 (S310), the activation signal processing unit 305 transmits an event to the power management unit 301. Upon receiving this event, the power management unit 301 shifts the operating state to G0 (starting state) (S311).

  The device discovery providing unit 307 communicates with the device discovery processing unit 206 of the user device 200. This is performed according to a service specific device or service discovery protocol such as UPnP, NETBIOS, ECHONET.

  The service providing unit 308 communicates with the service using unit 207 of the user device 200 to provide a service to the user device 200 (S312). This is done according to service specific protocols such as SMB, UpnP, DLNA, NETBIOS, ECHONET. The service providing unit 308 has a predetermined time period during which the service state is not provided after the operation state shifts to G0 (starting state) (more specifically, for example, in the case of DLNA, content provision processing is not performed). If it becomes longer, an event is sent to the power management unit 301. When receiving this, the power management unit 301 shifts the operation state to G2 (resting state) (S313).

  FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing operations among the user device 200, the service devices 300A and 300B, and the directory agent 100 in the system of FIG. Using FIG. 12, a series of sequences until the user device 200 receives service provision of the service devices 300A and 300B in the present invention is shown. In FIG. 12, the thick part of the vertical axis indicates a state where the power of the corresponding device is ON (G0). The other part is the power OFF state (G2).

  In the initial operation state of the system of FIG. 1, the power of the wireless LAN access point 400 is ON (G0), and the power of other devices is OFF (G2).

  When the service device 300A is connected to the network and the user performs a predetermined operation, for example, the power is turned on, the service device 300A sends the directory agent 100 to the directory agent 100 using the MAC address of the directory agent 100 set in the service device 300A in advance. The activation signal is transmitted (S401), and the directory agent 100 is turned on by WOL.

  The device information is transmitted from the service device 300A to the directory agent 100 (S402). The directory agent 100 holds this device information. Thereafter, the directory agent 100 turns off its own power supply.

  Similarly, when the service device 300B is connected to the network and turned on, the magic packet (startup) is sent from the service device 300B to the directory agent 100 using the MAC address of the directory agent 100 set in advance in the service device 300B. Signal) is transmitted (S403), and the directory agent 100 is turned on by WOL.

  The device information is transmitted from the service device 300B to the directory agent 100 (S404). The directory agent 100 holds this device information. Thereafter, the directory agent 100 turns off its own power supply.

  The directory agent 100 turns on its power supply by the timer, extracts the MAC address of the registered service device from the stored device information, and transmits an activation signal to each service device (S405). As a result, the power of the service device is turned on.

  The directory agent 100 confirms the existence of all service devices (S406). This existence confirmation is realized when the directory agent 100 transmits a survival confirmation request to the service devices 300A and 300B, and each service device transmits a survival notification to the directory agent 100.

  Here, the survival confirmation request may be extracted from the device information held by the directory agent 100, may be transmitted to a predetermined multicast address, or may be broadcast.

  In addition, without a survival confirmation request from the directory agent 100, a service confirmation message (survival notification) is sent from the service device 300A or 300B to the directory agent 100 (or a predetermined multicast address or broadcast). May be. It is desirable that the service devices 300A and 300B are autonomously turned off after a certain period of time has elapsed since startup. Further, it is desirable that the directory agent 100 autonomously turns off the power after a lapse of a certain time after transmitting the survival confirmation request.

  Next, when the user device 200 is turned on by the user, the user device 200 transmits an activation signal to the directory agent 100 (S407), and turns on the directory agent 100.

  Thereafter, the user device 200 acquires all device information held by the directory agent 100 (S408). This acquisition is realized by transmitting a device information acquisition request from the user device 200 to the directory agent 100 and transmitting device information from the directory agent 100 to the user device 200 in response thereto. It is desirable that the directory agent 100 autonomously turns off the power after a certain period of time has elapsed after transmitting the device information.

  The user device 200 that has received the device information presents a list of services that can be used from the device information to the user. When the user selects a service, the MAC address is extracted from the device information for the service device corresponding to the service selected by the user, and a magic packet (activation signal) is transmitted to the corresponding service device (S409). Turn on the device.

  If the service provided by the service device has a service discovery function at the service application level such as UPnP, NETBIOS, and ECHONET, for example, the user device 200 performs service discovery according to the specification (S410). At this time, it is preferable that the user device 200 confirms the operation state of the service device with the service discovery function.

  Then, the user device 200 uses a service provided by the service device (S411). Examples of this service include a printer printing service, a moving image display service by transmitting moving image data to a TV, a NAS file service, and an air conditioner operation of an air conditioner.

  When the service has been used and a certain time has elapsed, the service device autonomously turns off the power. Further, the user turns off the power of the user device 200.

  In the system of this embodiment, the directory agent 100 collectively manages MAC addresses as device information of the user device 200 and the service devices 300A and 300B. Therefore, the user device 200 and the service devices 300A and 300B need only set the MAC address of the directory agent 100. In this way, the same setting may be made for each device regarding the MAC address. As a result, the user can eliminate the trouble of setting the MAC addresses of all the service device devices in the user device 200. Further, for example, when a directory agent receives a broadcast or multicast activation signal, the activation signal processing unit is extended so that the activation signal does not have its own MAC address, thereby enabling user equipment and It is also possible to omit the setting of the MAC address of the directory agent in the service device. The directory agent 100 is in a power-off state except when it operates, such as when receiving device information from the service device 300 or when providing device information to the user device 200. Therefore, according to the directory agent 100, power consumption can be reduced.

  The directory agent 100 can also be realized by using a general-purpose computer device as basic hardware, for example. That is, the power management unit 101, the time management unit 102, the activation signal processing unit 103, the device information transmission unit 104, the device information holding unit 105, the survival confirmation processing unit 106, the activation signal generation unit 107, and the data transmission / reception unit 108 This can be realized by causing a processor mounted on a computer apparatus to execute a program. At this time, the directory agent 100 may be realized by installing the above program in a computer device in advance, or may be stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or distributed through the network. Thus, this program may be realized by appropriately installing it in a computer device. The device information holding unit 105 is realized by appropriately using a memory, a hard disk, or a storage medium such as a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD-RAM, a DVD-R, or the like that is built in or externally attached to the computer device. can do.

  In the system according to this embodiment, the user device 200 and the service devices 300A, 300B, 300C, and 300D are connected via an IEEE802.11 wireless LAN and communicate using the IP protocol. However, other wireless systems such as Zigbee, Bluetooth, and WiMAX are not limited to IEEE802.11, and wired communication systems such as Ethernet (registered trademark), IEEE1394, and USB may be used. A plurality of communication methods may be mixed. In addition to the printer, TV, NAS, and air conditioner, the service device and the user device may be, for example, a mobile phone, a PDA, or an electronic photo frame. In the system of the present embodiment, the home net has been described as an example, but it may be a public place such as an office net or a hot spot, or outdoors.

  The operation order of the directory agent 100 shown in FIG. 6, the operation order of the user equipment 200 shown in FIG. 9, the operation order of the service equipment 300 shown in FIG. 11, and the operation order of the system of FIG. I can't.

  In addition, as operating states, G0 (operating), G1 (sleeping (so-called sleep or hibernation state, can shift to “operating” faster than G2 state), G2 (soft off (so-called power-off state than G1) Although the power consumption is small, the transition time to "in operation" is slower than G1)) G3 (mechanically completely powered off) is described as an example, and the transition is performed in the state of G0 and G2. In other words, each device may be in a state in which the activation signal waiting state can receive the activation signal and can shift to a high power state when it is received. .

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 shows the configuration of the directory agent 2100 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 shows a configuration of a user device 2200 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 shows a configuration of a service device 2300 according to the second embodiment.

  In the system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the service information 2300, the user equipment 2200, and the directory agent 2100 communicate with each other by the control information transmission / reception unit that consumes less power than the data transmission / reception unit. Different from the system according to the first embodiment. That is, the control information transmission / reception unit performs communication between the service device 2300, the user device 2200, and the directory agent 2100 for an activation signal, device information, and survival confirmation. The activation signal, device information, and survival confirmation are activated separately from the data transmission / reception unit used for service provision because the service device has a smaller amount of data than communication when the service is being provided to the user device. Communication is performed by separately providing a control information receiving unit for communication of signals, device information, and survival confirmation. By doing in this way, the power consumption at the time of a stop can be reduced. Here, the control information transmission / reception unit is a low-speed communication method compared to the data transmission / reception unit. Since the low-speed communication method is generally simple in the communication modulation method, the circuit scale can be reduced, thereby reducing power consumption during communication and reception standby.

  Specifically, the control information transmission / reception unit is, for example, a communication method used in RFID (for example, a wireless communication method using ASK modulation), an IrDA method, a communication method using infrared light used in the remote control of the TV 300B, or the like, IEEE802.15.4. It is possible to use a low-power-consumption wireless communication method. On the other hand, as a communication method of the data transmitter / receiver, Ethernet (registered trademark), wireless LAN such as IEEE802.11, USB, cellular wireless communication method or the like is used.

  Here, a small processor (not shown) for communication processing using the control information transmission unit is prepared separately from the main CPU (not shown), and when performing communication using the control information transmission / reception unit, for example, main It is desirable to perform processing with most of the power in devices such as the CPU and main memory turned off. In addition, it is desirable that the memory that holds the device information is nonvolatile and can hold its contents without supplying power.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the directory agent 2100 uses a control information transmission / reception unit 2109 instead of the data transmission / reception unit 108 as compared with the directory agent 100 according to the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as the configuration of the directory agent 100, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The control information transmission / reception unit 2109 has the same function as the data transmission / reception unit 108 except that a low-speed communication method is used.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the user equipment 2200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The user device 2200 is configured to further include a control information transmission / reception unit 2209 as compared to the user device 200 according to the first embodiment. That is, the user device 2200 includes two interfaces, a data transmission / reception unit 208 and a control information transmission / reception unit 2209. That is, unlike the user device 200, the user device 2200 may perform communication via the data transmission / reception unit 208 or may communicate via the control information transmission / reception unit 2209.

  The activation signal generation unit 203 transmits an activation signal via the control information transmission / reception unit 2209. The device information request generation unit 204 transmits a device information request via the control information transmission / reception unit 2209. The device information holding unit 205 receives a device information response via the control information transmitting / receiving unit 2209.

  On the other hand, the service utilization unit 207 and the device discovery processing unit 206 communicate with the service device 2300 via the data transmission / reception unit 208.

  FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of a configuration example of a service device 2300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the service device 300 according to the first embodiment, a control information transmission / reception unit 2310 is further provided. That is, the service device 2300 includes two interfaces, a data transmission / reception unit 309 and a control information transmission / reception unit 2310. That is, unlike the service device 300, the service device 2300 may communicate via the data transmission / reception unit 309 or may communicate via the control information transmission / reception unit 2310.

  The activation signal generation unit 303 transmits an activation signal via the control information transmission / reception unit 2310. The device information holding unit 304 transmits device information via the control information transmitting / receiving unit 2310. The activation signal processing unit 305 receives an activation signal via the control information transmission / reception unit 2310. In addition, the survival confirmation transmission unit 306 performs survival confirmation via the control information transmission / reception unit 2310.

  On the other hand, the service providing unit 308 and the device discovery providing unit 307 communicate with the service device via the data transmission / reception unit 309.

  Here, the device information of the service device 2300 preferably includes (service type, service protocol type, operation state, nickname, MAC address of the device control information transmission / reception unit, MAC address of the data transmission / reception unit of the device).

  FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram showing operations among the user device 2200, the service devices 2300A and 2300B, and the directory agent 2100. Here, it is assumed that the configuration of service devices 2300A and 2300B is the same as the configuration of service device 2300. FIG. 16 shows a series of sequences until the user device 2200 communicates with the service devices 2300A and 2300B in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the operation state of the user device 2200, the service devices 2300A, 2300B, and the directory agent 2100 changes. In the present embodiment, four operation states of P0, P1, P2, and P3 are assumed. Here, P0, P1, and P2 are active states, and P3 is a dormant state. P0, P1, and P2 are activated states, but the power state is different in each state. Specifically, the four operating states are P0 (a state in which arbitrary communication is possible), P1 (a state in which an arbitrary signal can be transmitted and received using the control information transmission / reception unit and a minimum power consumption state), and P2 ( An arbitrary signal can be transmitted using the control information transmission / reception unit and the minimum power consumption state), and P3 (a start signal can be received and the minimum power consumption state). In FIG. 16, the operation state of each device is represented by the type of vertical line. The solid line represents P3. The dotted line represents P2. The alternate long and short dash line represents P1. The thick solid line represents P0. In addition, the dotted line arrow of FIG. 16 represents the communication via the control information communication transmission / reception part, and the solid line arrow represents the communication via the data transmission / reception part. Hereinafter, P0 is referred to as a first activation state, P1 as a second activation state, P2 as a third activation state, and P3 as a dormant state.

  In the following description, as shown in FIG. 16, the initial state of the user device 2200, the service devices 2300A, 2300B, and the directory agent 2100 is P3 (pause state). The wireless LAN access point 400 is powered on.

  When the service device 2300A is connected to the network and a predetermined operation from the user, for example, the power is turned on, the service device 2300A enters the operation state P2 (third activation state). Then, the service device 2300A transmits an activation signal to the directory agent 2100 using the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2109 of the directory agent 2100 (S501). Here, it is assumed that the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2109 of the directory agent 2100 is set in the service device 2300A in advance. When the directory agent 2100 receives the activation signal from the service device 2300A, the operation state becomes P1 (second activation state).

  Next, the service device 2300A transmits device information to the directory agent 2100 through the control information transmitting / receiving unit 2310 (S502). The directory agent 2100 holds this device information. When the directory agent 2100 holds the device information, the operation state becomes P3 (pause state). Here, the transmission of device information from the service device 2300A to the directory agent 2100 may use broadcast or may be addressed to a predetermined multicast address.

  Similarly, for the service device 2300B, when the power is turned on by the user, the service device 2300B enters the operation state P2 (third activation state). The service device 2300B transmits an activation signal to the directory agent 2100 using the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2109 of the directory agent 2100 (S503). Here, it is assumed that the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2109 of the directory agent 2100 is set in advance in the service device 2300B. When the directory agent 2110 receives the activation signal from the service device 2300B, the operation state becomes P1 (second activation state).

  Next, the service device 2300B transmits device information to the directory agent 2100 through the control information transmission / reception unit 2310 (S504). The directory agent 2100 holds this device information. When the directory agent 2100 holds the device information, the operation state becomes P3 (pause state).

  Next, the directory agent 2100 sets its operation state to P2 (third activation state) by the timer. Next, the directory agent 2100 extracts the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2310 of the registered service device from the stored device information, and transmits an activation signal to each service device (S505). When each service device receives the activation signal, the operation state becomes P1 (second activation state).

  Next, the directory agent 2100 changes its own operation state to P1 (second activation state), and performs survival confirmation for all service devices (S506). In this survival confirmation, the directory agent 2100 transmits a survival confirmation request to the service device 2300 via the control information transmission / reception unit 2109, and each service device 2300 sends a response (survival notification) to the directory via the control communication information transmission / reception unit 2310. This is realized by transmitting to the agent 2100. After transmitting the existence notification to the directory agent 2100, the service device 2300 shifts its operation state to P3 (pause state).

  Here, the survival confirmation request may be extracted from the device information held by the directory agent 2100, may be transmitted to a predetermined multicast guess, or may be broadcast.

  Further, the service device 2300 may transmit a message for voluntary existence confirmation to the directory agent 2100 (or a predetermined multicast address or broadcast) without the existence confirmation request from the directory agent 2100.

  In addition, it is desirable that the service device 2300 autonomously sets the operation state to P3 (pause state) after a predetermined time has elapsed after receiving the activation signal and shifting the operation state to P1 (second activation state).

  When the operation state is set to P0 (first activation state) by the user, the user device 2200 transmits an activation signal to the directory agent 2100 via the control communication information transmission / reception unit 2209 (S507). When the directory agent receives the activation signal, the directory agent sets the operation state to P1 (second activation state).

  Thereafter, the user device 2200 acquires all device information held by the directory agent 2100 (S508). That is, the control information transmission / reception unit 2209 of the user device 2200 transmits a device information request to the directory agent 2100. When the directory agent 2100 receives the device information request, the device information on which device information is placed on the user device 2200. Send a response.

  After the device information is transmitted to the user device 2200, the directory agent 2100 shifts its operation state to P3 (pause state), for example, after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  Upon receiving the device information, the user device 2200 presents a list of services that can be used from the device information to the user. When the user device 2200 selects a service from the presented services, the user device 2200 transmits an activation signal to the service device 2300 corresponding to the selected service. Here, the user device 2200 extracts the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2310 of the service device 2300 from the device information of the selected service device 2300, generates an activation signal using the MAC address, and generates the activation signal. Is transmitted to the corresponding service device 2300 (S509). When the service device 2300 receives the activation signal, the operation state becomes P0 (first activation state).

  If the service provided by the service device 2300 has a service discovery function at the service application level such as UPnP or NETBIOS, the user device 2200 uses the data transmission / reception unit 208 to perform service discovery according to the specifications. Perform (S510).

  Then, the user device 2200 uses the service provided by the service device using the data transmission / reception unit 208 (S511).

  When the use of the service ends and a certain time elapses, the service device 2300 autonomously sets the operation state to P3 (pause state). Further, the operation state of the user device 2200 is set to P3 (pause state) by the user.

  According to the directory agent 2100 of this embodiment, a control information transmission / reception unit with low power consumption is provided as an interface for performing communication between the user device 2200 and the service device 2300. As a result, power consumption is reduced. More specifically, the directory agent 2100 is provided with a control information transmission / reception unit with low power consumption instead of the data transmission / reception unit, so that power consumption can be reduced. Regarding the user device 2200 and the service device 2300, the operation of the data transmission / reception unit with high power consumption can be stopped at the time of suspension, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  Further, according to the directory agent 2100 of the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the operation state is changed between a period in which the directory agent 2100 is not communicating and a period in which communication is performed. As a result, the power consumption of the directory agent 2100 is reduced.

  In this embodiment, the operation states are P0 (a state in which arbitrary communication is possible), P1 (a state in which an arbitrary signal can be transmitted and received using the control information transmission / reception unit and a minimum power consumption state), and P2 (control information). Although description has been made taking as an example P3 (a state in which an activation signal can be received and a minimum power consumption) in which an arbitrary signal can be transmitted using the transmission / reception unit and a minimum power consumption state), the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, it is sufficient that the activation signal can be received at least in the state of P3 (hibernation state) and can be shifted to a high power state when received. In addition, there is no need to shift in four states as operating states.

<Modification 1>
Next, a system according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In this embodiment, the communication method of the control information transmission / reception unit is RFID. In this case, communication is possible even when one of the devices that performs communication is powered on and the other is powered off. Other configurations are the same as the configurations of the directory agent 2100, the user device, and 2300 described in the second embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. In the system according to the second embodiment, the operation state P3 (rest state) has been described on the assumption that signals relating to device information and survival confirmation cannot be communicated. However, even if there is no power supply on the receiving side, such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), it is possible to send / receive data, access the memory, and drive the processor using wireless power from the reader / writer. Even in P3 (resting state), communication of device information and survival confirmation can be performed.

  FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of operations among the user device 2200, the service device, and the directory agent 2100 in the system according to the first modification of the second embodiment. Unlike the sequence diagram of FIG. 16, this sequence diagram does not take the operation state P1 (a state in which an arbitrary signal can be transmitted / received using the control information transmitting / receiving unit and the minimum power consumption). This is because, as described above, even in the operation state P3 (resting state), it is possible to receive a signal relating to device information and survival confirmation. For the same reason, transmission / reception of activation signals for causing each device to shift from the operation state P3 (resting state) to P1 (second activation state) is not performed.

  First, when the service device 2300A is connected to the network and a predetermined operation from the user, for example, the power is turned on, the service device 2300A enters an operation state P2 (third activation state). Then, the service device 2300A transmits device information to the directory agent 2100 using the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2109 of the directory agent 2100 (S601). Here, it is assumed that the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2109 of the directory agent 2100 is set in the service device 2300A in advance. When the directory agent 2110 receives device information from the service device 2300A, the directory agent 2110 holds the device information. Here, the directory agent 2100 performs device information reception processing and device information storage processing by wireless power from the service device 2300A.

Similarly, when the service device 2300B is connected to the network and a predetermined operation from the user, for example, the power is turned on, the service device 2300B enters the operation state P2. Then, the service device 2300B transmits device information to the directory agent 2100 using the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2109 of the directory agent 2100 (S601). Here, it is assumed that the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2109 of the directory agent 2100 is set in the service device 2300B in advance. Upon receiving the device information from the service device 2300B, the directory agent 2110 holds the device information. Here, the directory agent 2100 performs device information reception processing and device information storage processing by wireless power from the service device 2300B.
Next, the directory agent 2100 changes its operating state to P2 by using a timer, extracts the MAC address of the control communication information transmission / reception unit 2310 of the registered service device 2300 from the stored device information, A survival check is performed on the service device (S602). In this survival confirmation, the directory agent 2100 transmits a survival confirmation request to the service device 2300 via the control communication information transmission / reception unit 2109, and each service device 2300 transmits a response (survival notification) via the control communication information transmission / reception unit 2310. This is realized by transmitting to the directory agent 2100. Here, it is desirable that the service device 2300 transmits the survival notification without using the power supply of the service device 2300, with the operation state being P3 (pause state). For example, the directory agent 2100 may check the existence of the service device 2300 as if the ID information is read by an RFID reader. Further, the wireless power from the directory agent 2100 may be temporarily stored in the capacitor by the user device 2200, and a survival notification may be transmitted using this power.

  Next, when the operation state is set to P0 (first activation state) by the user, the user device 2200 acquires all device information held by the directory agent 2100 by the control information transmission / reception unit 2009 (S603). That is, the control information transmission / reception unit 2209 of the user device 2200 transmits a device information request to the directory agent 2100. When the directory agent 2100 receives the device information request, the device information on which device information is placed on the user device 2200. Send a response. Here, for the same reason as described above, the directory agent 2100 can receive a device information request and transmit a device information response even in the operation state P3 (sleep state).

  Next, when receiving the device information, the user device 2200 presents a list of services that can be used from the device information to the user.

  When the user device 2200 selects a service from the presented services, the user device 2200 transmits an activation signal to the service device 2300 corresponding to the selected service. Here, the user device 2200 extracts the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2310 of the service device 2300 from the device information of the selected service device 2300, generates an activation signal using the MAC address, and generates the activation signal. Is transmitted to the corresponding service device 2300 (S604). When the service device 2300 receives the activation signal, the operation state becomes P0 (first activation state).

  If the service provided by the service device 2300 has a service discovery function at the service application level such as UPnP, NETBIOS, and ECHONET, the user device 2200 uses the data transmission / reception unit 208 to find the service according to the specifications. (S605).

  Then, the user device 2200 uses the service provided by the service device 2300 using the data transmission / reception unit 208 (S606).

  When the use of the service ends and a certain time elapses, the service device 2300 autonomously sets the operation state to P3 (pause state). Further, the operation state of the user device 2200 is set to P3 (pause state) by the user.

  According to the directory agent 2100 of the present modification, the operation state can be maintained in a low power consumption state when transmitting / receiving device information by using RFID. Therefore, the power consumption of the directory agent 2100 can be reduced.

  In this modification, the directory agent 2100 may be configured not to include the activation signal processing unit 103 and the activation signal generation unit 107.

<Modification 2>
Next, a system according to Modification 2 of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the system of this modification, the directory agent 3100 has a function of a wireless LAN access point, and the user device 2200 and the service device 2300 perform data communication via the directory agent 3100.

  FIG. 18 shows a configuration of a directory agent 3100 according to the second modification. The directory agent 3100 further includes a wireless access point 3400 as compared with the directory agent of the second embodiment.

  The wireless access point 3400 has a normal access point function. That is, the user device 2200 communicates via the wireless access point 3400 when communicating with the service device 2300. The operation state of the wireless access point 3400 is controlled by the power management unit 101. The wireless access point 3400 always operates in the operation state P0 (first activation state), and operates in the operation state P1 (second activation state) and the operation state P2 (third activation state). It may be good or not working. Further, it is assumed that the wireless access point 3400 is not operating when in the operation state P3 (resting state). In FIG. 18, a data transmission / reception unit 3110 is shown as part of the configuration of the wireless access point 3400. The data transmission / reception unit 3110 communicates with the data transmission / reception unit 208 of the user device 2200 and the data transmission / reception unit 309 of the service device 2300. The wireless access point 3400 has a configuration for achieving functions necessary for operating as a wireless LAN access point in addition to the data transmission / reception unit 3110, but is similar to the configuration of a normal access point. The description is omitted.

  FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating operations among the user device 2200, the service device, and the directory agent 3100 in the system according to the second modification of the second embodiment.

  S501 to S506 are the same as the operations described in FIG.

  Upon receiving the activation signal from the user device 2200 in S707, the directory agent 3100 shifts to the operation state P0 (first activation state).

  Thereafter, the user device 2200 acquires all device information held by the directory agent 3100 (S708). That is, the control information transmission / reception unit 2209 of the user device 2200 transmits a device information request to the directory agent 2100. When the directory agent 3100 receives the device information request, the device information on which the device information is placed on the user device 2200. Send a response.

  Then, after transmitting the device information to the user device 2200, the directory agent 3100 does not shift its operation state to P3 (sleep state) but maintains P0 (first activation state).

  Upon receiving the device information, the user device 2200 presents a list of services that can be used from the device information to the user. When the user device 2200 selects a service from the presented services, the user device 2200 transmits an activation signal to the service device 2300 corresponding to the selected service. Here, the user device 2200 extracts the MAC address of the control information transmission / reception unit 2310 of the service device 2300 from the device information of the selected service device 2300, generates an activation signal using the MAC address, and generates the activation signal. Is transmitted to the corresponding service device 2300 (S709). When the service device 2300 receives the activation signal, the operation state becomes P0 (first activation state).

  If the service provided by the service device 2300 has a service discovery function at the service application level such as UPnP or NETBIOS, the user device 2200 uses the data transmission / reception unit 208 to perform service discovery according to the specifications. This is performed (S7110).

  Then, the user device 2200 uses the service provided by the service device using the data transmission / reception unit 208 (S711). Here, the user device 2200 performs the processing of S710 and S711 with the service device 2300 via the directory agent 3100.

  When the use of the service ends and a certain time elapses, the directory agent 3100 autonomously enters an operation state P3 (pause state). At this time, the wireless LAN access point 3400 of the directory agent 3100 is also turned off. The service device 2300 autonomously sets the operation state to P3 (pause state). Further, the operation state of the user device 2200 is set to P3 (pause state) by the user.

  As described above, the directory agent 3100 has a function of a wireless LAN access point. Then, the directory agent 3100 can shift the operation state. The directory agent 3100 can suspend the operation state of the wireless LAN access point 3400. Therefore, conventionally, the wireless LAN access point has been required to be always turned on, but this is no longer necessary. As a result, power consumption can be reduced as a whole system.

  In the user device 2200, the service device 2300 of the second embodiment, and the directory agent 3100 of the modified day of the second embodiment, it is not necessary to transmit / receive the activation signal, the existence confirmation, and the device information via the control information transmission / reception unit. Alternatively, data may be transmitted / received via the data transmission / reception unit.

  In the first and second embodiments, the IPv4 protocol has been described as an example. However, other protocols such as the IPv6 protocol can be used instead of IPv4.

  Further, the user device and the service device may be the same device. For example, both the user device and the service device may be a PC.

  In FIG. 1, the directory agent is described as being located near the user device and the service device. However, as long as the directory agent is connected to the network, the physical location may be anywhere.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the directory agent does not have to be on the same network as the service device and the user device. For example, device information may be managed by a single directory agent for a plurality of devices on the home network.

  Moreover, although the case where the number of user devices is one has been described as an example, there may be a plurality of user devices.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

100, 2100, 3100 ... directory agent, 200, 2200 ... user equipment, 300 ... service equipment, 300A, 2300A ... printer, 300B, 2300B ... TV, 300C ... NAS, 300D ... Air conditioner, 400 ... Access point, 101, 301 ... Power management unit, 102 ... Time management unit, 103, 305 ... Activation signal processing unit, 104 ... Device information transmission unit, 105, 304 ... device information holding unit, 106 ... survival confirmation processing unit, 107, 203, 303 ... activation signal generation unit, 201 ... screen display unit, 202, 302 ... user input unit 204, device information request generation unit, 205, 206 ... device discovery processing unit, 207 ... service use unit, 108, 208, 309 3110: Data transmission / reception unit, 306 ... Survival confirmation transmission unit, 307 ... Device discovery provision unit, 308 ... Service provision unit, 2209, 2310, 2109, 3109 ... Control information transmission / reception unit, 3400 ... Wireless access point.

Claims (15)

A communication unit for communicating with user equipment and service equipment;
A device information holding unit for storing device information of the service device received from the service device via the communication unit;
An activation signal processing unit that receives an activation signal from the user device via the communication unit;
A device information transmitting unit that transmits device information held by the device information holding unit to the user device via the communication unit;
A power management unit that controls the operating state,
When the activation signal processing unit receives the activation signal, the power management unit shifts from a hibernation state to an activation state with high power consumption,
The device information transmission unit transmits the device information after shifting to the activated state,
The power management unit shifts from the activated state to the hibernate state after transmitting the device information. The activation signal processing unit receives a second activation signal from the service device via the communication unit,
When the activation signal processing unit receives the second activation signal, the power management unit shifts from the hibernation state to the activation state,
The device information holding unit stores the device information after shifting to the activated state,
The communication device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power management unit shifts from the activated state to the dormant state after storing the device information.   The communication device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit, the activation signal processing unit, and the power management unit are operating in the dormant state. The device information includes a MAC address of the service device,
Upon receiving the device information, the user device generates a third activation signal generated based on the MAC address, and notifies the service device,
The communication device management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the service device shifts from the hibernation state to the activation state when receiving the third activation signal.   5. The communication device management according to claim 4, further comprising a life confirmation processing unit that receives a life notification from the service device specified by the device information held by the device information holding unit via the communication unit. apparatus.   6. The communication device management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the power management unit shifts to the dormant state after receiving the survival notification. The survival confirmation processing unit notifies the service device of a survival confirmation request via the communication unit, and receives the survival notification as a response to the survival confirmation request.
The activation signal processing unit transmits a fourth activation signal to the service device before the survival confirmation processing unit transmits the survival confirmation request.
The communication device management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, when the service device receives the fourth activation signal, the service device shifts from the hibernation state to the activation state. It has a wireless access point function,
The user equipment and the service equipment send and receive data via their own devices,
8. The communication device management apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the function of the wireless access point is also stopped when the own apparatus is in the dormant state.   The power management unit performs the transition from the activated state to the hibernated state after the device information is transmitted and after the user device and the service device transmit and receive data via the own device. The communication device management apparatus according to claim 8.   10. The communication device management apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the communication unit uses a communication method that consumes less power than a communication method used when the service device provides a service to the user device. A user device that uses a service device service,
A communication unit that communicates with the communication device management apparatus and the service device;
An activation signal processing unit that transmits an activation signal to the communication device management apparatus via the communication unit;
A device information request generator for transmitting a request signal for requesting device information of the service device to the communication device management device;
The user device, wherein the activation signal processing unit transmits the activation signal to the communication device management apparatus before the device information request generation unit transmits a request signal to the communication device management device. Furthermore, a second communication unit for using the service of the service device,
The user equipment according to claim 11, wherein the communication unit uses a communication method with lower power consumption than the second communication unit. A service device that provides a service to a user device,
A communication unit that communicates with the communication device management apparatus and the user device;
An activation signal generation unit that transmits an activation signal to the communication device management apparatus via the communication unit;
A device information holding unit for holding device information of the own device;
The service device, wherein the activation signal generation unit transmits an activation signal to the communication device management device before the communication unit transmits the device information to the communication device management device. A second communication unit for providing a service to the user equipment;
The service device according to claim 13, wherein the communication unit uses a communication method that consumes less power than the second communication unit. A communication unit for communicating with user equipment and service equipment;
A device information holding unit for storing device information of the service device received from the service device via the communication unit;
A device information transmitting unit that transmits device information held by the device information holding unit to the user device via the communication unit;
The device information holding unit stores the device information using wireless power received from the service device when the device is in a dormant state,
The device information transmission unit transmits the device information by using wireless power received from the user device when the device is in the hibernation state.